Windmills Blow

THE SECRET MEETING

2009-09-16T18:28:00.018-04:00

Mr. Smitherman

Now that the wind turbines are up and running and keeping people awake at night, you'd think the underhandedness and deceit would be over. Well, think again. This past Thursday, there was an almost secret celebration for the administrators, politicians and the occasional supporter of the wind farms. I use the word secret, in that the event was not publicized, only certain people were issued invitations, and, my favorite part, a contingency of law enforcement officers were dispatched to subdue any would be protesters!

Energy Minister George Smitherman was the catch of the day at the 'Grand Opening' of the Wolfe Island Wind Project. His impending visit was kept very quiet, apparently because Smitherman was "deathly afraid" he would face protests at the event as he did in KIncardine in April. Well, the brave and courageous Mr. Smitherman dodged that bullet with the help of dozens of policemen who really weren't needed since most of us dangerous and rebellious law breakers WENT TO WORK AS USUAL!

The government released some of the details of the visit on Wednesday afternoon confirming that Smitherman and Environment Minister John Gerretsen would be at the Wolfe Island event, but it offered no site address and told reporters they had to RSVP, but did not say how to do that.

Reporters could have found out the details had they known the prospective guests. How they would have figured that one out is anybody's guess. The couple who had to move because the quality of air was compromised by the traffic on their road was not invited. The residents who dealt daily with an overloaded boat were not invited. The people who live with the flicker of the lights from the turbines were not invited. The people who cannot sleep nights with the infinite noise of the blades were not invited. And the people who drive daily on sub standard roads were not invited. Once again, the residents of Wolfe Island are inconsequential and disrespected.

Who was invited? Lots of politicians on all levels, the higher ups of Canadian Hydro, and the upper echelons of Wolfe Island society (HAHAHA, just kidding about that part!).It was a back patting sort of affair, made to make people feel important about themselves, and, at the same time, safe from those scary protesters.

You can run Mr. Smitherman, but you can't hide...

FUN WITH WINDMILLS

2009-07-15T20:30:00.008-04:00

One of the local farmers having fun with his windmill.

With all this negative blogging, it's time to have a little fun with the windmills. Here are a few things that just might bring a chuckle to your lips.

#1 Despite the fact that the residents of Wolfe Island were told there would be little or not bird deaths attributed to the turbines, someone has been hired whose sole job is to seek out dead birds!

#2 Some of the most ardent supporters of the wind farm are now complaining about noise!

#3 Despite being told there would be very little light pollution, some people are being kept awake at night by annoying flashing red lights. Where are the lights? You guessed it, on top of the windmills!

#4 In order to make the concept of electricity a little more sexy, the industrial behemoths are not located on wind farms any more, they are called wind parks!

#5 One of the first to sign up and get their very own wind turbine, now has their house for sale, for $800,00! In a 'wind park'!

#6 To capitalize on the sexy wind parks, there is a Kingston bus company giving turbine tours! Look there's one, and there's another... and another...!

#7 One of the local restaurants (which shall remain nameless, but it rhymes with Rowns Ray), advertised daily specials but when someone I know tried to make reservations were told it was for the windmill people only. Now that the mad construction rush is over, they want us back!

#8 In reading all the comments that are posted on my blog, I have one repeat customer who HATES ME! I have two questions to this poster; what have you got against punctuation, and why do you keep coming back?!!

GUERILLA SCULPTURE

2009-07-15T19:19:00.015-04:00

A close look at one of the 86 hands

This morning, a friend of mine called to tell me that there was a sculpture out on the 2nd Line Road, a spot where one can bask under the shadow of the turbines. She told me that the installation piece was doomed to be destroyed, and if I wanted to see it, I should get there quickly. Not even knowing what I was looking for, I immediately went out, knowing that I would recognize it when I saw it. And I did.

This is what I saw; perfectly executed hands, in all different positions, holding rocks, poised to throw. Since there were 86 hands, I interpreted the piece to be a protest against the 86 windmills, possibly done by someone else who got very little sleep over the weekend. A tired mind can be a great visionary.

My friend sees it as people buried, and reaching up from the ground to throw stones at the turbines. Perhaps they are the same people who are rolling over in their graves over what has been done to their island. I am reminded of the story 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson where the townspeople drew lots to see which of the villagers would be stoned to death as a sacrifice to insure a bountiful harvest.

Wolfe Island is home to many talented artists, my friend included, but a guerilla installation of rock throwing hands is an avant-gard concept. Since civil disobedience is so much more difficult than it was in the sixties, we must make our statements when, where and how we can, and in ways that are legal.

It is a given that the installation will be destroyed, if it hasn't been already. It's a shame, a lot of work went into the piece as did, I imagine, a lot of emotion. I hope a lot of people get to see it, to take pictures, to talk about on the boat in the morning. Perhaps they will think of some creative forms of protest, a positive way to transform this negative experience.

Sculpted hands poised to stone the turbine

A QUIET NIGHT WITH THE TURBINES? HA!

2009-07-11T12:03:00.011-04:00

Don't be fooled by the pastoral setting

It's not yet midnight. The sky is clear, except for a few small clouds moving across the sky. I am standing on my back deck and I am in awe of the ominous, deep rumblings of the closest windmill. It is a kilometre away. This is the sound they told us did not exist.

Just like the ones I saw in Loweville, the turbines sound like a jet--too high to be seen, but close enough to hear. The difference is, the jet passes over, and the silence of the night resumes. In the case of the turbines, the noise continues into the night, and then into the day.

When I went back into the house and went to bed, I could still here the noise coming through my open window. What was it that made the noise particularly thunderous last night? There was a soft breeze , the air was clear, atmospheric conditions, who knows? My hearing isn't always the best, so I know I'm I am not overly sensitive.

Many years ago, I originally came to Wolfe Island to escape the sounds of the city. On my first night sleeping here, I was amazed at the silence. I relished the sounds of nature, frogs, crickets, and the intermittent howl of coyotes. After decades of listening to sirens, drunks, and screaming tires, the peacefulness of Wolfe Island was heavenly.

Residents who opposed the placement of turbines on Wolfe Island were assured that there would be no noise, which to me made not sense, everyone knows that when a stick, a whip, a skipping rope is lashed, there is a distinct whooshing sound. Cap'n Mike laughed at our concerns, telling us that one could stand right under a turbine and not hear a sound. Of course, standing under a windmill is like standing under a gigantic speaker--the noise radiates out, underneath is probably the quietest place to stand. We were even told that quite often, people like to picnic under them! Yes indeed Mr. Jablonicky and we are all idiots!

I do not feel that I should change my way of living in order to block out the sound of the turbines. I do not want to close my windows at night; I do not want to run something that makes white noise to mask the noise; I do not want to move. What I want is an apology, an admission from the corporations that they did in fact lie. I want to launch a class action suit against them. I want everyone who was so eager to put a windmill on their property to go crazy from the noise and the guilt that were it not for their greed to get money from nothing, Wolfe Island would still be a peaceful oasis in a world of noise and confusion.

For a video of what turbines really sound like, go to http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/what-wind-turbines-sound-like/

WIND TURBINES CAUSING HEALTH PROBLEMS... WELL DUH!

2009-04-23T08:31:00.009-04:00

Last week, the last of the 86 wind turbines was erected on Wolfe Island. Some of them will be turned on by the end of this week. The mayor and the council continue to tell the local media that 'although there are detractors, most people are happy with the wind farm'. Well, not true. Now that they are no longer a concept on paper but right out there, people are beginning to question whether or not this was such a good idea. Shows how much people listen.

Last night in CBC news--Canada's Voice of the People--there was a segment that voiced the concerns about the health problems that are (not may) be causing health problems. Here is the transcript in its entirety:

Wind turbines causing health problems, some Ont. residents say

14/04/2009 5:09:06 PM

Noise and vibrations caused by wind turbines are causing sleep disruptions and other health problems among people who live nearby, some Ontario residents say.

CBC News

"I'm very concerned about the victims that we've got in Ontario because they're really suffering some pretty significant, adverse health effects," said Carmen Krogh, a retired Alberta pharmacist who is conducting a survey of people living near wind turbines.

Krogh, who now lives in Cormac, Ont., about 130 kilometres west of Ottawa, said she once fell ill while vacationing near a wind turbine complex in 2005. Initially, the turbines weren't moving, but once the wind picked up the blades started turning. Within 10 minutes she began to experience vibrations through her body, an intense headache, queasiness, dizziness and heart rhythm irregularities, she told CBC's The Current on Tuesday.

"It was like my heart was trying to beat to the time of the blades."

The symptoms subsided after she left the area.

Since then, Krogh said, she has heard many stories from other people who say they have fallen ill as a result of wind turbines. She is currently distributing questionnaires in areas with wind turbines, asking residents to describe whether they have experienced any effects from the turbines, and if so, what those might be.

"We need some kind of vigilance program so people can report their adverse effects," she said.

Krogh is not the only person to document illness caused by wind turbine noise.

Last year, Dr. Nina Pierpoint, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, published a book called Wind Turbine Syndrome describing symptoms reported by people who live near wind turbines in the United States.

In March, Dr. Michael A. Nissenbaum, a radiologist at the Northern Maine Medical Center, presented to the Maine Medical Association the results of 15 interviews of people who lived near a wind farm in Mars Hill, Maine, which found that many began experiencing sleep disturbances, headaches, dizziness, weight changes, possible increases in blood pressure, and increased prescription medication use after the turbines were turned on.

No peer-reviewed evidence: wind industry

Sean Whittaker, vice-president of policy at the Canadian Wind Energy Association, said so far there is no evidence in peer-reviewed science journals that wind turbine noise does cause adverse health effects or bothers people as much as other sources of noise. A news release put out by his group last year lists seven publications, including articles from the Lancet, the World Health Organization, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the health branch of the Ontario Municipality of Chatham-Kent that draw similar conclusions.

Whittaker acknowledged that wind turbines are a fairly new energy technology that barely existed in Canada 10 years ago.

"So it's natural that people are going to have questions, that they're going to have concerns."

Barbara Ashbee and Denis Lormand, a retired couple who live near a wind farm outside Shelburne, Ont., about 75 kilometres northwest of Toronto, initially didn't have concerns when wind turbines were erected near their home. The nearest is 450 metres away.

"I thought they were going to be good for the environment, for the province and Canada and the whole world, really," said Ashbee. "But I also thought they were quiet and passive."

In fact, the turbines often cause a loud whooshing noise that can be heard throughout their house, they said.

"It's disturbing, it's distressing, it's totally consumed us for four months," said Ashbee.

"You can't sleep properly, you can't do your work properly â€¦ you even lose desire to do the normal, everyday things."

Constant, cyclical noise

The noise is constant and cyclical, she said.

"If there's a storm coming and in and the winds are really starting to pick up, these three behind us here sound literally like this house is in a washing machine."

Lormand said the noise also keeps him awake at night and causes a ringing in his ears.

At other times, a low vibration comes through the walls and through Ashbee's pillow when she's trying to sleep, forcing her to get up and turn the television on in an effort to drown it out.

Geoff Leventhall, an Ontario consultant who provides analysis and advice concerning noise, vibrations and acoustics, said low-frequency wind turbine noise is below the limit of human hearing.

"We are not hearing them and I don't believe they are having any effect on us," he said, adding that wind turbine noise in general is no different from any other kind of noise.

Whether the noise is different from other noises or not, it has disturbed Ashbee and Lormand to the point that the couple plan to move.

"We've really tried hard to fix things," Ashbee said. "I don't think it's fixable."

Krogh said she thinks there need to be more evidence-based studies on the health effects of wind turbine noise and in the meantime the Ministry of the Environment should impose stricter guidelines for how far the turbines must be from homes.

She added that she has raised her concerns with the wind energy industry but they deny there is a problem.

"And I would expect that," she said. "It's pretty hard to tell people that their product might make people sick."

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Well now, imagine that. Where was the media when our concerns were first expressed? What does this mean for communities that have been destroyed by the monoliths? Who is going to compensate for illnesses and devaluation of property?

Just because they are up , doesn't mean it's over. It's just the beginning.

LIKE IT OR NOT, WE ALL HAVE THEM

2009-03-24T19:37:00.004-04:00

Wolfe Island, looking like "War of the Worlds"

Well, hell no, I don't like them, but it appears that we are stuck with them. And as of today with 68 of them erected, it's kind of hard to ignore them. So no matter who you are, or where you look, you see these monoliths of industry.

Think about it. Suppose you were one of the majority of people who did not get windmills on your property, but you weren't averse to the idea of wind energy. And say your neighbor did. And say your neighbor didn't want them ruining his view of nature, so he puts them at the back of his property which abuts your property. Now, every time you go into the kitchen to do the dishes or mix yourself a drink which you seem to be doing a lot lately, you see his windmills practically in your back yard. What do you think of "greed energy" now?

Suppose you hated the concept of a bunch of 45 storey structures dotting the landscape of one of the few remaining pristine islands in the country. And one evening, when you come home from work, BOOM! there it is, less than a mile away but it looks like it's in your back yard. Your neighbor's big fucking turbine. You cry, you want to puke, you want to move, you want to destroy whoever was responsible for this travesty. But you can't. You just have to live with, look at it, and mourn. Every. SIngle. Day.

Not only are you subject to looking at these structures outside, but think of the reflecting surfaces inside your house. Mirrors, pictures, French doors, everything reflects what is outside ad infinitum. Once the machines are operable, (and this is where I pray that they all blow up when the switch is eventually pulled) the reflections of the revolving blades will dominate your peripheral vision inside, outside, while you are driving, while you are relaxing on your back deck.

The people who live in Kingston, who seemed to be quite gung ho about this project and accused us of NIMBY-ism when we protested are now having second thoughts. Perhaps they didn't consider that the turbines would be so big, perhaps they believed they wouldn't have to look at them. Now they look over and see this once beautiful vista dominated by machines. Now they think Wolfe Island looks like "War of the Worlds". To tell the truth, that's not such a bad idea.

WELL THAT'S A SURPRISE

2009-02-17T19:55:00.006-05:00

Can anyone ever believe big business? Don't bet the farm on it. Wolfe Island was promised that March 31 would be the end of the construction of wind turbines. We were assured that our roads would be back to normal, the workers would be gone, and our lives would be back to normal. Well, sort of normal, except for the 86 gigantic turbines spinning through the air above our heads.

The latest news is that the current crop of windmills will not be completed until the end of June. The excuse, according to the official spokesperson, is that construction has been delayed because of the unusually bad winter! Only this morning we were discussing on the boat how tame a winter we have been having compared to previous years. The lake is smooth enough to skate to town--if you were crazy enough to try--we recalled winters where the frozen lake took on an otherworldly look. I can only wonder how much Canadian Hydro pays their weather experts. I really hope it isn't too much.

Of course the extension is good news for the people who are renting out properties to the construction workers; the restaurants who feed them; and the young women who are seeking love in the hordes of heavily accented, fair haired Danes. Which makes me wonder... will there be a surge of little windbabies? Turbotots?

But there is a spanner added to the works. During the month of March, the MTO dock in Kingston will undergo an upgrading, no doubt necessary because of the abuse rent by the heavy construction equipment. At the same time, the Wolfe Islander III will go to St. Catherine's for it's five year refit, leaving residents with the considerably smaller Frontenac II. What this means is longer line-ups, longer waits to get home after a hard day's work, more cutting in line and most of all, short fuses. It is a recipe for disaster, and I can only hope the ones most affected can go home and picnic under the shade of their wind turbine!

As of today, Sea Wreck is proudly announcing there are 45 turbines erected, but not yet running. This represents slightly over half of the intended number, 86. Needless to say, the skyline of Wolfe Island will never again be photographed as an example of unblemished nature.

...AND THEY COULD BLOW YOUR MIND!

2009-01-29T19:41:00.021-05:00

The remains of the windmill (left) allegedly destroyed by a tentacled UFO

Of all the negative effects for which the wind turbines are responsible, I just discovered one I hadn't even thought of. It seems that they have the ability to make you stark raving mad. I've come to this conclusion after reading some articles about a windmill in Conisholme UK.

This windmill has the dubious honour of being the first windmill (that we know of) destroyed by a UFO. This out of this world event happened on Jan 4, 2009. A 20 metre blade mysteriously fell off a turbine at Conisholme wind farm. Not only did the one blade fall off, but another was badly damaged. The residents of Conisholme claim that they saw strange flashing tentacle shaped lights above the wind farm the night it happened.

One gentleman recalls looking out the his window and seeing a massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground over the wind farm. He thought it strange, but mistook it for a hole where the moon was shining through, that is, until he saw the tentacles. "It looked just like an octopus", he said.

Perhaps people who live in Conisholme are used to this sort of thing, but I have a few reservations about the whole thing. First of all, if I looked outside and saw giant tentacles coming out of the sky, I'd be hightailing my ass out of there. Secondly, if something like this happened to a windmill in our area, I'd be rolling on the floor laughing, but I wouldn't be telling reporters that I thought it was a UFO. When you say stuff like that, people start to think you're nuts. But since the windmill loving people of Conisholme don't seem to be worried about this, I think it's a done deal. Living in the proximity of windmills makes you nuts. Stark raving mad.

A QUICK UPDATE

2009-01-29T13:07:00.003-05:00

Just a quick addendum to the previous entry...It is Thursday January 29, 1:08 p.m. The 12:00 boat has just left the island. YYYYAAAAAARRRRR!

WIND PIRATES YAAARRRR!!

2009-01-27T20:27:00.017-05:00

Wolfe Islander III, the lifeline to residents of the island

I guess I never really believed they would appear, let alone stay. Yet each day there are more. No longer can people pretend to ignore them; no longer can people who live across the river in Kingston fool themselves into thinking they won't be affected by them; no longer can local politicians and businesses involved in 'greed energy' pretend they won't scar the fabric of the environment. The wind turbines, about 30 so far--slightly more than one third of the total, are commanding the horizon of our small island.

As the turbines increase, so does the arrogance of those in charge. They know they've won this battle, and they are no longer kowtowing and bending over backwards to appease the fears of the residents who were never comfortable with the project. They are changing the very fiber of the community, and doing it in ways never thought imaginable.

For example, our lifeline to the mainland is a 55 car ferry, The Wolfe Islander III. She takes us to work each morning and brings us back safely at night. The boat is sometimes the only constant in the lives of islanders, getting us to work, to school, to appointments on time. Throughout the ice storm in 1998, the ferry never missed a trip, even though we had no electricity for a week. The boat carries the ambulance over to Kingston when islanders are in need of emergency treatment--cancer patients, accident victims, newborn babies. The Wolfe Island Ferry is our link to the outside world.

Each winter, when the lake freezes over, the ferry goes to an alternate dock, three miles outside the village of Marysville. It's a pain in the ass sometimes, but it is reliable. This year, the winter dock is being used by CREC, the company that is in charge of the turbine project. There is a bubble system going from Kingston to the winter dock to keep the channel open until the spring thaw. Since it has been a cold winter this year, we normally would be utilizing the alternate dock, but no. CREC has made a deal with the devil, or maybe the town council, to continue to use the winter dock, while our ferry continues to crash through the ice without the aid of a bubble system. With the exuberance of Micky Rooney declaring that he's putting on a show, CREC hollered, "We'll pay for it!"

CREC has magnanimously promised us the use of a tug boat to help clear the ice, but the only time I have seen this tug was when it was accompanying the CREC barge. Our boat bangs and crashes and tears through the ever thickening ice, and you know that can't be good. CREC has managed somehow to take over our boat and hold it hostage. Each morning, the boat arrives later and later. Residents, tax-paying residents of course, are arriving later and later at their jobs. Why are we putting up with this? Why don't people stand up and say "Enough is enough". Are people so naive (out of politeness I won't use the term I really want) that they don't know when they are are being used? Give us back our boat, our island, our lives.

CREC likes to be called C-REC. Sea Wreck. Now I know why.

Cap'n Mike of the Sea Wreck. Yaaaarrr!

WHAT TO EXPECT

2008-12-26T19:49:00.005-05:00

Congratulations! Your community has been chosen to be the recipient of a vast number of wind turbines! What can you expect to happen?

Number one. Don't expect to have any say in the matter if you are not on the side of those who want to turn your community into an industrial electricity-producing wind farm. The people who want the turbines will collect free money for renting their property to the turbine company, in our case CREC or Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation. If you protest too much, you may be arrested or you may merely get a cease and desist order. Don't use the environment as an excuse, dead wildlife is considered collateral damage.

Number two. Divide and conquer. It's a war tactic that has worked for centuries and still does. Your neighbourhood will split like an overcooked frankfurter. Families will turn against one another, friends will be at each others throats. The turbine company loves when this happens.

Number Three. You will be lied to. They will hire sweet talkers who will tell you what you want to hear, but when it comes right down to it, they will do as they please.

Number Four. You will not be able to get gravel for your home improvement projects. Entities like gravel will be contracted out to the turbine company and no one else will be able to access certain raw materials.

Number Five. Your town will be inundated with workers. Your town will be like Times Square on New Year's Eve, and people will benefit from this. These people will need somewhere to stay. People with restaurants, bed and breakfasts, rooms to rent, empty cottages, trailers, will all think they have died and gone to heaven.

Number Six. These people will be driving large equipment. Very large equipment that will tear up your roads, stir up dust and dirt, and create potholes the size of a 1951 Mercury.

Number Seven. They will fix your roads. Someday. Not today, not tomorrow, but when ever this expensive, gigantic project is finished. Whenever that will be.

Number Eight. You will lose some of your friends because they will move.Oh sure, you say you'll keep in touch but you won't. But maybe your friend was wise to get out when s/he did, because what are your property values going to be like when this is all over?

Number Nine. The Oops factor. Oops, we accidently spilled a whole bunch of diesel in your water. Ooops, we didn't mean to cut down quite so many trees. Oops, we didn't mean to (fill in the blank). Because there's a lot of Oops factors that you'll never find out. Isn't Oops a great word!

Number Ten. Don't expect to get a deal on your electricity bill. If your council is as bright and foresightful as ours is, you will get nothing personally out of the deal. Sure there will be tax money, but they'll use that on the roads, and sure the landowners will make out like bandits, but they'll all be wintering in Florida. Never mind that you are doomed to forever look at gigantic turbines every time you look out the window, or that you went through two sets of tires because of the massive pot holes you are forced to drive through every day. You will still pay premium prices for electricity unless someone makes a deal to keep one of the windmills for the exclusive use of your community.

Once again, congratulations. Now that you know a few things to expect, (there are many many others) you can make the right choice--do I pack up the family and go now while the going is good, or do I wait and see the community I once loved turned into an electrical plant.

21 AND COUNTING

2008-12-26T18:50:00.004-05:00

As of today, there are 21 windmills on Wolfe Island--a mere 65 to go. They are interesting creatures, they standout in the sunshine as light bounces off the blades, but on a cloudy day, they disappear into the mist, appearing invisible to those who do not know they are there. Because I go to work when it is still dark and return home in the dark, I have not had to look at them.

But a few days ago, I was returning home in the daylight, and forced myself to look towards the windfarm. Twenty-one turbines overpowering the horizon, I was a bit overwhelmed. And yet none of the other commuters mentioned them. It was like looking at someone's dirty laundry--we all know it's there, but it's to embarassing to talk about. No one commented or even acknowledged the existence of these behemoths. They glanced at them, then looked away.

There are many who stand up for the building of the windfarm. The mayor of Frontenac Islands is one of them. He wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper stating that almost everyone is on board with the project, discounting anyone who has an opinion to the contrary. It shows how out of touch he is with his constituents, he does not mingle with those who disagree with him. Hopefully this arrogance will prevent him from becoming mayor for another term. I know I won't vote for him!

But no matter who is mayor or who isn't mayor, and no matter who is on the side of green energy and who is on the side of greed energy, the fact remains that the windmills are here to stay, at least for the next twenty years according to the binding legal contract. How are the two sides going to reconcile their differences? Will neighbours ever again acknowledge one another? Will the feelings of anger and hatred ever go away?

Many of us are concerned about our health, our property values, and the survival of the island as a community and not just an industrial park. But unfortunately, no one can predict the future. We will continue to stick up for our beliefs, and question those who think they can take advantage of those less gifted than themselves. And remember, those who do not standup for their convictions, have no convictions.

DIRTY UNDERHANDED TACTICS WIN THE WAR

2008-11-07T15:48:00.013-05:00

I was very distressed the other night after our windmill meeting. Unlike the other liaison meetings of past months. it seemed that there was an inordinate number of windmill supporters in the house. "How can that be", I thought to myself, "when I know some of them are too lazy to leave their homes". My first clue was seeing the chairs stacked in neat rows as if someone was expecting a crowd. Previously we grabbed our own chairs and set them about in random order. And on prior occasions, I was one of the first people there, and this time, the hall was almost full even though there was twenty minutes to go until the meeting started. It was as if they were giving away free beer.

When instead of the concerns that we usually deal with, people started giving props to the corporation that started it all, and I knew something was amiss when they all started clapping their hands for the turbine that was erected that day.

Today, I discovered that the secretary or glorified secretary that works for CREC, took it upon herself, and, company slave that she is, phoned as many supporters of the turbine construction project that she could before breaking a nail. I guess I consider that stacking that deck.

What it has probably done, is to alienate even more people on the island and further the toxicity of the social environment. Way to go Trudy!

#19

2008-11-05T20:45:00.004-05:00

It's up. Number 19, the first in a series of 86 turbines on Wolfe Island was erected today. It is 16 days behind schedule, thanks to the winds we've had in the past two weeks--the winds that I pray for each night just to screw up the project.

The towering monolith is between 5th and 4th Line Road, and although it isn't as close to the road as it could be, it still towers above all. And for those with an interest in all things mechanical, it is rather fascinating, but for those with concerns about health and the environment, it represents much, much more. I am curious to investigate the health issues of islanders before, during and after the construction. Certainly the construction process has taken its toll on the health of those closest to the current sites. I wonder if people whose eyes have been burning lately realize it is probably because of aggregate dust. Or those who have a persistent cough or lung congestion; have they linked it to the air they breathe or do they mistakenly believe it is a lingering fall cold?

In our small community, many people are afraid to admit they have concerns about the turbines, afraid it will cause social problems with their friends and neighbors. They are afraid of creating "Toxic Neighbors". So they keep quiet, they put up, and they don't attend or speak out at meetings where they might be in the minority. They let others take the brunt of being troublemakers and radicals, or people who just want to cause trouble. It's frustrating, and I've been to such a meeting tonight.

It has made me realize that so many people are uneducated, ignorant, close-minded, and just plain mean. They fail to see, or are unable to see the big picture, thinking only of themselves and the $7,500 per year they will receive for prostituting their land. I have lost a lot of respect for some of my fellow islanders tonight, and I bloody well despise some of the other ones. Do they feel the same way about me? Maybe, but I don't care, because that's how toxic neighborhoods work.

There is a Toyota commercial that sums up the way I feel about the environment, and frankly I don't understand why others are unable to see it this way too:

"The best way to have an impact on the environment is to have no impact at all".

A Matter of Days

2008-10-20T19:17:00.015-04:00

It is only a matter of a few days before the first

windmill will be completely up on Wolfe Island.

Yesterday, I observed one third of the first turbine

between Third and Fourth Line Roads on Baseline.

Today another section was added. Unless it is

smote by a higher power or hit by lightning, it looks

like it's finally happening. I feel helpless that I can't

do anything about it, and I feel angry that it things are

going as planned. Well, more or less anyway.

The Island is at the mercy of a bunch of overpaid

wind experts. They have monitored the winds in test

zones,they have carefully calculated the placement of

each and every turbine so that it works at its maximum

potential (okay, maybe just a couple of them), and they

have hired the best experts in the field of wind energy.

Here I could make a bunch of jokes and comments

about wind experts, but I won't. You have to supply your own.

So. Wind experts. Experts on wind. They know wind.

They get paid big bucks--big government bucks--to harness

the wind. So I wish one of them would tell me, who forgot

to factor in the velocity of the wind on the river. That

very same river that Gordon Lightfoot sings about in

"The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"! The barge

on which the wind experts are bringing their trucks,

their cranes, their apprentice wind experts, cannot

cross the water to the Island when the winds exceed

20 kilometres per hour! Actually, they have modified

this so that it the barge may actually take on 25kph. The

forecast for tomorrow has winds gusting at 55 kph!

This little bit of irony pleases me. Obviously, ignoring

the power of the wind on the water is an expensive

mistake on their part, and that pleases me too. And

they don't realize that November brings gales that can

make even the saltiest sailor lose his breakfast. And

lunch for that matter. But what displeases me and the

other people who ride the ferry each day twice a day

to get back and forth to work is that when the winds are

too much for the wimpy barge, the trucks, transports and

traffic from the turbine project take the ferry.

It concerns me that such monstrous vehicles will

hasten the normal wear and tear on the Wolfe Islander,

and create a potentially dangerous situation for those

who rely on the ferry for their livelihood.

THE OIL SPILL

2008-10-15T20:32:00.011-04:00

So, in the endeavor to green up the world, on October 1, 2008, one of the workers on the turbine project inadvertently polluted the St. Lawrence River a little more than it was before. The worker, now an ex-worker, a scapegoat no doubt, transferred an amount of diesel oil from one barge to another, except he sort of poured it directly into the water instead of into the other boat. I heard of this on my way home, and immediately went out and took pictures before the goons caught on and blocked my way. I was met by a delightful young man named Ben, an engineer hired, no doubt, for his abilities to schmooze and downplay serious environmental mistakes. Fortunately, I have become immune to the kind of charm these people exude. He explained it was just a small spill--nothing to be concerned about, and it had probably already evaporated into the air. (The AIR, Ben, that's the stuff we breathe..) He said it was harmless to wildlife and other living things, and as he spoke, I played the dumb girl, a part I have perfected over the years, and snapped the pictures included here.

Later that evening, there was a meeting with representatives from four government agencies and the some mid-level management types from the windmill project. We were told that only 1,500 liters were spilled into the water. I figure that if they admit to 1,500, it was probably closer to 3,000 liters. And to appease the residents of Hell Island, sorry..Wolfe Island, they told us they got rid of the fellow that made the 'mistake'. Let's hope they only fired him and he's not in the bottom of one of the windmill holes!

Should you be strolling along the St. Lawrence River in the vicinity of Wolfe Island and come across some dead things, like fish, ducks, geese, otters, and whatever, feel free to call Steve from the Ministry of the Environment. His work number is 1-416-739-5908, and his cell is 1-416-579-5476.

Imagine This Every Day

2008-10-15T19:54:00.004-04:00

No matter how much I speak about the horrors of the construction of the turbines, it still remains true that a picture is worth 1,000 words. So if that's the case, a video must be worth millions. This video was made by a friend of mine who is also a filmmaker. She and her husband are at Ground Zero of the turbine construction. Despite being two of the healthiest people I know, they are experiencing serious health problems which can only be attributed to aggregate dust, diesel fumes, and whatever other byproducts of so-called "green energy" are polluting the air.

Here is the link to the Youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-via0ec-AY

If this doesn't work, just Google wolfeislandfamily

2008-09-18T15:18:00.000-04:00

Wind turbines. Green energy or red herring? Communities across the nation are being deceived by large corporations into agreeing to host windmill farms, thinking they are doing their part for the environment and the future. The only future they are safeguarding is the financial future of the multi-million dollar companies who manage to sweet talk the little guy into long time leases.

The community of Wolfe Island, the largest of the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River between New York State and Ontario is one such story.

Wolfe Island has a population of 1500 or so full time residents who live on the island and commute via ferry to nearby cities, most commonly, Kingston, ON. The population doubles in the summer time, as cottagers and tourists take advantage of the fishing, bird-watching, and the unobtrusive serenity of nature. Well, at least it used to be like that. These days the island is more reminiscent of a war zone--loud, monstrous vehicles, clouds of dust and debris, and explosions that rattle the bones of the long dead in the island's cemeteries.

What is it about nature that makes people feel they must destroy it? A wind farm is not a gentle, quiet endeavor. It is a loud and destructive process that will alter the environment forever. Trees must be cut, limestone must be blasted from the land where it has settled for millions of years, meadows must be torn asunder to allow for roads that will accommodate the colossal machinery needed to destroy the soul of the island.

After it is all done, the profile of the island will be dominated by 10 storey monoliths that look like leftover props from some long forgotten Orson Welles film. The land will have been raped by industrialists. The soothing song of nature will be replaced by a constant barrage of white noise.

Joni MItchell sang the song, They Paved Paradise They Put up a Parking Lot many years ago. Little did I know then, that it would become an eerie refrain that floats through my mind like a funeral durge.